Eyewitness testimony: Anxiety (AO1)

Question 1

Who said that anxiety has a negative effect on eyewitness testimony?

Answer 1

Johnson & Scott

Question 2

Who said that anxiety has a positive effect on eyewitness testimony?

Answer 2

Yuille & Cutshall

Question 3

Outline Johnson & Scott’s procedure for their study:

Answer 3

Participants sat in a waiting room. Low anxiety condition: heard a casual conversation, a man walked past with a pen and grease on his hands. High anxiety condition: heated argument, glass breaking, man walked past with blood on him and a knife. Participants were then asked to recognise the man from 50 photos.

Question 4

Outline Johnson & Scott’s findings for their study:

Answer 4

49% of participants in the low anxiety condition and 33% in the high anxiety condition were able to recognise the man. Tunnel theory of memory + weapon focus.

Question 5

Outline Yuille & Cutshall’s procedure for their study:

Answer 5

Participants saw a gun shop owner shoot a thief dead- 13 out of 21 agreed to be a part of the study. Then interviewed 4-5 months later- information recalled compared to police interview at the time. Rated stress levels too.

Question 6

Outline Yuille & Cutshall’s findings for their study:

Answer 6

Witnesses were accurate in what they recalled. Those who reported higher levels of stress were more accurate- 88% compared to 75% for the less stressed group. So: anxiety may enhance the accuracy of EWT in some cases.

Question 7

What is the inverted U-theory/ Yerkes + Dodson law?

Answer 7

Relationship between performance and arousal/stress is like an inverted- U.

Question 8

What did Deffenbacher do?

Answer 8

Reviewed 21 studies of EWT with contradictory findings on the effects of anxiety on recall. Suggested Yerkes-Dodson law could explain this- low + high levels of anxiety produce worst recall but optimum levels can lead to good recall.